Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 21 HRRP FRA
The Department of Defense Hearing Restoration Focused Research Award (FY21 HRRP FRA), funding opportunity number W81XWH 21 HRRP FRA, is a competitive research program run through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs framework. It supports science and technology research and development aimed at restoring hearing and improving auditory health outcomes that are directly relevant to military needs, especially where service members may experience hearing damage due to exposure to blasts, loud noise, or other operational hazards.
The central purpose of this award mechanism is to back promising, targeted projects that can move the field closer to real-world solutions. In practical terms, the program is looking for work that either speeds up drug discovery and therapeutic development for hearing restoration following military-relevant auditory system injury, or meaningfully advances the ability to diagnose auditory dysfunction in austere environments. "Austere environments" generally refers to settings with limited infrastructure or resources, such as deployed locations, field clinics, or remote settings where standard hospital-grade diagnostic tools and specialized staff may not be available. The emphasis on acceleration suggests the program favors efforts that are positioned to translate into usable interventions, diagnostics, or enabling platforms rather than purely exploratory work with an unclear path to application.
A notable feature highlighted for FY21 is encouragement for applicants to leverage resources from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The opportunity points applicants toward NCATS programs and preclinical innovation resources (listed at https://ncats.nih.gov/preclinical) to increase efficiency and help bridge the gap between early research and practical deployment. This signal matters because it implies reviewers may value proposals that are designed around established translational support, such as screening capabilities, medicinal chemistry support, preclinical development resources, or other infrastructure that can reduce common bottlenecks in moving a candidate therapy or diagnostic approach forward.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and can be issued as either a grant or a cooperative agreement, indicating that in some cases the government may expect substantial involvement or coordination during the project period (a common trait of cooperative agreements). The assistance listing is under CFDA number 12.420. Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning it is broadly open to different types of organizations, with the caveat that applicants must follow any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The posting was created on May 20, 2021, and the original application deadline was November 30, 2021. The expected number of awards was nine. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically indicates the specific maximum amount was not captured in the summary record and applicants would need to consult the full funding announcement for budget limits, project period constraints, and other financial details.
Overall, this award opportunity is best understood as a translationally oriented DoD research investment focused on two high-impact outcomes: (1) speeding the development of therapies, including drug-based approaches, that could restore hearing after service-related injury, and (2) improving diagnostic capabilities for hearing problems in operational or resource-limited conditions. The program explicitly encourages applicants to connect their science to practical development pathways and to use established translational infrastructure, particularly NCATS resources, to improve the odds that promising ideas can move toward validated, deployable solutions.Apply for W81XWH 21 HRRP FRA
- The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DOD Hearing Restoration Focused Research Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.420.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 20, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 30, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
This opportunity is the Department of Defense Hearing Restoration Focused Research Award (FY21 HRRP FRA).
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is W81XWH 21 HRRP FRA.
Who runs or administers this program?
The program is run through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) framework.
What is the main purpose of the Hearing Restoration Focused Research Award?
The central purpose is to support targeted science and technology research and development aimed at restoring hearing and improving auditory health outcomes that are directly relevant to military needs.
What kinds of military-relevant hearing issues does the program focus on?
The opportunity highlights hearing damage that may occur due to blasts, loud noise, and other operational hazards experienced by service members.
What types of projects are most aligned with this award?
The award is positioned to back promising, targeted projects that move the field closer to real-world solutions, especially work that is designed to translate into usable interventions, diagnostics, or enabling platforms.
What are the two major outcome areas emphasized in the opportunity?
The opportunity emphasizes two high-impact outcomes: (1) speeding up drug discovery and therapeutic development for hearing restoration following military-relevant auditory system injury, and (2) meaningfully advancing the ability to diagnose auditory dysfunction in austere environments.
Does this funding support drug discovery or therapeutic development for hearing restoration?
Yes. One of the explicit priorities is accelerating drug discovery and therapeutic development for hearing restoration after military-relevant auditory system injury.
Does the program support diagnostics for hearing problems?
Yes. A key focus area is advancing the ability to diagnose auditory dysfunction, particularly in austere environments.
What does "austere environments" mean in this context?
In this opportunity, "austere environments" generally refers to settings with limited infrastructure or resources, such as deployed locations, field clinics, or remote settings where hospital-grade diagnostic tools and specialized staff may not be available.
Is the program more interested in basic research or applied/translational work?
Based on the emphasis on acceleration and real-world solutions, the program is translationally oriented and favors projects with a clear path toward practical application rather than purely exploratory work with an unclear route to use.
What is meant by "acceleration" in the opportunity description?
The term signals a preference for efforts positioned to move promising ideas toward usable interventions, diagnostics, or enabling platforms by reducing common development bottlenecks and advancing toward deployment-relevant validation.
Are applicants encouraged to use any specific external translational resources?
Yes. FY21 materials encourage applicants to leverage resources from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), including NCATS programs and preclinical innovation resources (https://ncats.nih.gov/preclinical).
Why does the opportunity mention NCATS?
The mention implies that proposals may be viewed more favorably when they are designed around established translational support (for example, screening capabilities, medicinal chemistry support, and preclinical development resources) that can improve efficiency and help bridge the gap between early research and practical deployment.
What type of funding is this (grant, contract, or something else)?
The opportunity is described as discretionary funding and can be issued as either a grant or a cooperative agreement.
What is a cooperative agreement in this context?
The listing notes that a cooperative agreement may be used, which typically indicates the government may expect substantial involvement or coordination during the project period compared with a standard grant.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The assistance listing is under CFDA number 12.420.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning it is broadly open to different types of organizations, with the expectation that applicants follow any additional eligibility clarifications provided in the full announcement.
Where should applicants look for budget limits or award maximum amounts?
The summary record shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically means the maximum amount was not captured in the summary. Applicants would need to consult the full funding announcement for budget limits, project period constraints, and other financial details.
How many awards were expected?
The expected number of awards listed for this opportunity was nine.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posting was created on May 20, 2021.
What was the application deadline?
The original application deadline was November 30, 2021.
What makes a project "directly relevant to military needs" for this program?
The description ties military relevance to addressing hearing damage and auditory dysfunction associated with service conditions (such as blasts and loud noise) and to solutions that can work in operational or resource-limited environments.
What kinds of deliverables does the program appear to be seeking?
The opportunity emphasizes translation toward deployable solutions, which can include therapies (including drug-based approaches), diagnostics suitable for austere environments, and enabling platforms that reduce barriers to real-world use.
Is this opportunity part of a larger research ecosystem?
Yes. It sits within the CDMRP framework and explicitly points applicants toward leveraging NCATS translational resources to support preclinical and development activities.
If a project is focused on improving diagnosis, what setting should it be designed for?
The opportunity specifically calls out austere environments, suggesting diagnostic approaches should be suitable for deployed, field, remote, or otherwise resource-limited contexts.
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